Stolen Moments
by SkyFangirl
Summary: Girl meets Deimos. Girl chases Deimos. Deimos is perplexed. A Darc and Lilia whatif. It's my first try at a Fanfic, be gentle!
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits or the characters, places, and items therein..although I wouldn't mind renting out Darc once in a while. Okay, all the time.

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She crouched behind some bushes, squeezing her eyes shut and clasping her hands over her ears like a child. "Don't let him see me, don't let him find me," she muttered over and over.

"A human!", her pursuer cried, seeing her as he rounded the corner.

"A Deimos!", the girl replied, knees shaking. Before her panicked mind could tell her to run, though, another Deimos, a female, came running towards them. Without a word, the female Deimos sprung behind the male and sank her claws deep into his back. As he sank to the ground, bleeding and in shock, the attacker crowed her delight, taunting him. She was so busy praising herself for her treachery, she never noticed the human girl slipping back into the shadows mere inches away from her victim. The female Deimos departed, leaving the man facedown in the dirt and the girl shaken and confused.

"I can't just leave him like this..." She crept up to the Deimos' side, kneeling next to him to examine his wounds. Running her hands over his back, she marvelled at the sleek silvery scales that covered the back and sides of his well-muscled torso, the rest being more human and well-tanned. Shaking her head at how distracted she was, she set about bandaging his wounds. His attacker's weapons were well sharpened and had left a clean cut. The girl gently rolled him onto his side to make sure he hadn't been punctured straight through. Again, the sun glinting off his scales caught her eye, and she found herself tracing her fingertips gently across them. He stirred slightly in his sleep, his lips forming names she didn't recognize and her exploring hands froze, frightened again. She gazed at him silently, willing him to rest.

Where did the Deimos end and the Human begin? One of his arms was covered in scales and ended in a clawed hand, reminding her of a Drakyr. The scales ran up one side of his torso, ending in one small patch up his neck and on his cheek. His face was angular and handsome, his eyes dark and penetrating in that moment when he spotted her. Asleep, he still looked troubled, though perhaps that was the pain. She absently brushed a stray lock of his unruly chestnut hair out of his eyes. "What am I doing?" she whispered. Her chance to escape was slipping away from her, but she was transfixed by this man, this being, who could awaken at any moment and kill her! Once again, her traitorous hands found their way to him, stroking the nape of his neck, her heart thudding in her chest.

She stood up suddenly and took a few steps away, putting her back to him. As she muttered to herself, debating whether to stay near him or flee, he groaned and rose to his feet. "My wounds.." he rasped. "You did this? Why?"

"You were hurt," she replied.

"I'm a Deimos. Doesn't that matter to you? Aren't you scared?" His eyes narrowed dangerously, daring her to challenge him.

"Of course I'm scared. Terrified. But you were hurt. What does it matter if you're human or Deimos, you needed help!" As she spoke, she retreated a step. Even wounded, he was formidable.

He examined her for a moment, but she seemed to be speaking the truth. "Who are you anyway?"

"You know, it's polite to offer your own name when you ask for someone else's," she smiled.

He scoffed, "Oh, the Human way? Very well. I'm Darc. Who are you?"

"Nice to meet you Darc, I'm Lilia." She fluffed her hair and grinned at him.

"Lilia..Lilia! You're the one those humans were looking for!" He gaped at her. "Why are they looking for you?" They spoke briefly, about the army pursuing Lilia for the Stone that she held. Darc carefully avoided the topic of Delma, the Deimos who had made an attempt on his life. At first, Lilia's perky demeanor irritated him, but as she spoke he found himself being drawn in by her musical voice, and became loathe to let her walk away. He decided that she would be accompanying him back to Orcoth, his prisoner, and although she pleaded to be set free, it seemed false to him.

As he opened his mouth to order her to follow him back to town, a white-hot pain lanced through the wound in his back, dropping him to his knees. Lilia sped to his side, slipping her arm around his waist for support as he grimaced in pain. "Be still for a moment, trust me," she whispered into his ear, and gently lay one of her hands on his back, putting pressure on the wound. Before he could protest, a tingling warmth spread from her fingers, the muscles in his back knitting themselves together. As she pulled her hand away she paled and nearly fainted from the effort, sagging into his arms.

He stared at her, a swirl of emotions tightening his chest. On impulse, he ran a hand through her hair, letting it rest on the back of her neck. She stirred slightly, resting her head on his shoulder, her breath sighing gently against the scales on his throat. "Lilia..? Are you alright?" Strange to be worried about her..stranger still to be lifting her into his arms and carrying her to a secluded grove near the springs, lying her down carefully in the grass. He leaned close to her, listening to her breathing, and her eyes fluttered open suddenly, her deep blue eyes locking his. She reached for him, weaving her fingers into his hair, and pulled him to her, kissing him. As their lips met, the tight confusion in his chest was replaced by a terrible longing, and he pulled away from her sharply, suddenly afraid.

"I'm sorry.." she stammered. "I shouldn't have..I don't know.." Her cheeks grew crimson as he stared at her, that flush setting his heart racing once more.

"What was that?" he demanded. He interpreted her downcast eyes as rejection, and all the pain and loneliness of his youth came creeping back to haunt him again. He had thought, for that one moment...but no. She hated him. Feared him. Like all the others. He let go of her and turned away, angry that he had let himself feel vulnerable once again.

Her heart was racing, her mind spinning. Who was this Darc, to affect her like this? Lilia had never felt so strongly about a man, and who would imagine these circumstances? She was lost in herself, trying to come up with something, anything to say when he pushed her aside and turned away angrily. "Darc..Darc wait, don't go.." she pleaded, rising to her knees and reaching for his hand.

He spun back to face her, fury darkening his eyes. "Is this funny to you? Are you mocking me?"

She flinched, tears springing to her eyes. "Mocking? No! When you stopped I thought..I thought I had offended you...that I disgusted you..I didn't mean for this to happen, but...I couldn't help myself. You...fascinate me, Darc. I haven't been able to take my eyes off of you since you found me. I feel like I'm not in control around you, and I don't care.." She strayed off, searching his eyes.

His expression softened as she spoke, his clawed hand instinctively clutching the birthmark on his arm. "Lilia.." he whispered, "I..." He froze, at a loss for words again, and she slipped behind him, running her fingertips slowly down his sides, letting them rest on his hips. He turned and pulled her into his lap, kissing her deeply, his arms crushing her to his chest. She gasped as his lips found her neck, and let her head fall back, her body trembling in his arms. She slid her hands up his back again, fumbling at the clasps of his breastplate and he pulled back again, narrowing his eyes. "No...this isn't.." He frowned, confused. "What are you doing to me? I have to think."

"Still don't trust me?" She fluffed her hair, considering. "I couldn't possibly hurt you, you know. Nor would I want to..."

"I know that!" he snapped. "You're just...doing this so I'll let you go. That's it. You think if you trick me, and make me drop my guard, you can just go. Is that it?"

She sighed softly, appraising him. "How many times have you been hurt, Darc? I'm not her, you know. I'm not the one who has betrayed you. But, if you'd rather just push me away before I have the chance to hurt you, I guess you'll never find out."

He scowled again, gazing out over the gently rippling waters of the spring. "The one? Which one?" he growled. "Everyone leaves me, or tries to kill me. Everyone. Why should you be so different? Why should I believe you?"

"Look in my eyes. See if I lie. If you doubt me, kill me now and have done with it." She bit her lip. "I just wanted some comfort..I thought you did too. And...that armor stinks, you should really rinse your enemies off of it every now and again."

He barked a laugh and then glanced at her in surprise. A joke?

"Please come back..leave that thing on if you must, I'll just try not to breathe through my nose." She grinned at him, twisting her fingers in his hair. He failed to resist, so she pulled him over for a kiss again. This time, he removed the armor himself (although he left his sword belted on, which Lilia made no objection to), and her hands resumed their gentle exploration of him. The scarred lumps on his back gave her pause and he flinched, but she murmured words of comfort in his ear until he relaxed again. She traced the scars on his chest as she spoke and he shivered slightly, but he didn't fight her. _Patience_, she thought, _it just takes time. He'll come around. _Darc's hands left trails of goosebumps down her arms. She guided his scaled hand under her vest, moaning softly when he lightly traced the swell of her breasts with his claws. "Oh, Darc..." she breathed, nuzzling his neck.

"Delma!" he said abruptly.

"No...I'm Lilia." She nipped at his ear playfully.

"No...I need to stop Delma. I know where she's gone. We have to go!" He stood up, unceremoniously dumping the girl out of his lap and began collecting his armor.

Lilia sat on the ground, shaking her head at him in amusement. _Cathena wasn't built in a day,_ she thought. _I'll get through to him in time. _She stood up, brushing grass and leaves from her skirt, and followed him back to the forest.


	2. Chapter 2

_Which path should I walk?_ For so much of his short life, that question had haunted Darc. Human or Deimos? Savior or Conqueror? Vengeance or forgiveness? Lying awake at night while his mind spun wildly should have been nothing new. His was not a simple life. He was cursed, incomplete to his core. Half a Deimos, with half a Wind Stone. A body and mind stronger and faster than any other in his realm, but with a soft Human heart at its center. He sighed, staring at the ceiling of his bedchamber. Its previous resident, Densimo, had seemed content to sleep on a half rotted out cot. Darc chose the floor, having become accustomed to it in his long years of service to the unlamented Geedo. He had never felt a moment's guilt in killing either of them after they betrayed him, and yet he had let Delma live. _Why Delma? Why her and not the others? Will I spare her again if she makes another attempt on me?_ He blew another sigh and sat up, rubbing his temples._ In this too, I am alone. No other Deimos lies awake at night, wondering and worrying. Strength, power, war. That is all that they know. Sometimes, I envy their simplicity._

Realizing sleep was eluding him once again, he made his way into the town square. At this time of night, it was almost serene. They grasses shimmered with a magic all their own, and even the broken down remains of the ancient Human trains had a tragic beauty to them. _They were whole once...they were someone's dream once. Are all things destined to decay, their true purpose forgotten?_ He clutched his birthmark, shaking his head. _Some mood I'm in tonight. What the hell's wrong with me?_ His feet took him to the dungeons, his mind a mile away. He blinked, surprised, when he found himself on the landing overlooking Lilia's cell.

Apparently, he wasn't the only one spending a sleepless night. She stood with her back to him clad only in a short shift, the muggy air of her prison proving too thick for her brocade dress. Head bowed in concentration, her slender fingers flowed over the glowing center of her ortena, producing a sound that echoed softly through the room. _This is beauty_, Darc thought. He edged closer to the cell, trying not to alert the fragile Human girl to his presence. He could have just stormed in and demanded a song; she was his captive, he was in charge. Somehow, barking orders didn't seem like the best tactic with this one. It wasn't that she intimidated him, exactly. She was here at his wish, after all. She had a funny way of sidestepping his rages and twisting him around until he couldn't remember what he was yelling at or why, and then the witch would manuveur him into asking (nicely) for whatever it was he wanted. Asking! He would be King of the Deimos! He had suppressed or destroyed every Deimos he had ever met, and this slip of a girl would force him to _ask_ for things, like a child! It was galling.

And yet...here he was, spying on her in the middle of the night. She fascinated him, on many levels. At first he assumed that his need to keep her safe was out of gratitude..she had saved his life after all. His jealous rage when he caught the group of Orcons listening to her music, however, threw him into a tailspin. How dare they stare at her like that? How dare she play for those twits, when she never played for him? He had almost choked the life out of the dungeon's guard before he caught himself and tossed the wretch to the ground like a ragdoll and stomped off alone. That was yet another sleepless night. He had searched himself long and hard, examining his feelings for the girl, finally deciding that her kisses and gentle words were false..fleeting. Perhaps it was the same womanish magic his mother had used on his poor father?

He had done his best to stay away from her since then, lest she trick him again. Until tonight, when his distracted mind had let his feet carry him to her doorstep. His mind failed him again though. When he came out of his reverie, he became aware that she had stopped tuning her ortena and was staring at him, a smile twitching at the corner of her lips.

"I thought you had forgotten about me down here, Darc. Are you still angry at me? I wasn't trying to steal away your followers, you know."

He scoffed. "I know that. Like they'd follow you, anyway. They'd have torn you apart if it wasn't for me."

She nodded, not bothering to reply. They stared at each other for a moment, and Darc looked away first. _Leave, _he thought. _What are you looking for down here, anyway?_

"Were you looking for someone down here? It's quiet, and there's no one around. It's probably pretty late. Hard to judge from down here though." She crossed her cell and stood in front of the door, peering up the stairs.

"Do you...want to come out for a walk?" he blurted, inwardly kicking himself. "It's late, it's safe to move around. Unless you're tired. Yeah..you're tired. I'm just going to go." _Shut up, shut up! Why are you still talking, go!_

"A walk? Sure! I'd love a chance to stretch," she beamed at him, gathering up her ortena.

He fumbled with the lock, still cursing himself silently, and led her out of Orcoth. The streets were still empty, thank the Spirits, and they were halfway to the Church Ruins before he realized where they were going, and that he had left his armor and sword propped in a corner of his room. _Perfect. Why not just bind my hands and march into a Human camp blindfolded, while I'm at it? Perfect fool. _He swatted at a low branch as they passed.

"What's wrong?" Lilia asked. "Did I say something wrong? I know I just chatter sometimes, I can stop if you wish. You just didn't seem too talkative, like something was on your mind."

He grunted in reply. She cocked her head, searching his eyes until he looked away. "We're almost there, hurry up," he muttered, the growl in his voice a feeble attempt to deflect more conversation.

"Where are we going, anyway? You know, I'm glad you came. It's so hard to sleep sometimes, and I find myself itching to wander off to someplace quiet to think. Usually I'm alone so it doesn't matter, but Nafia was so worried that one time! She even sent Kha--...Whoa! What is this place?" Lilia ran forward a few steps, eyes wide with excitement. "It's beautiful! What is it?"

"Just some ruins. I come here sometimes, to get away." He folded his arms, wondering why he was so pleased that she seemed impressed with the spot. Why did her opinion matter so much?

Lilia gazed at him silently for a moment, then impulsively grabbed his hand. "Come on! Let's go have a look!"

Darc didn't put up much of a fight as she dragged him around. The stars winked at them through the shifting leaves, and the colored glass over his father's tomb seemed to take on a strange glow in the moonlight. After wandering off to examine the ancient carvings on the tumbled down walls, Lilia turned to say something, expecting Darc to be behind her. After a moment spotted him crouched down beside a large pile of stones, head bowed in meditation. Not wanting to interrupt him, she perched on a low wall a few feet behind him and began weaving a necklace from the morning glories and daisies that flourished in the peaceful courtyard.

"What are you doing?"

She blinked, startled. "Oh this? It's a necklace, my mother taught me to do this when I was a little girl." She held up the chain for him to see, then moved to put it around his neck.

He flinched away from her, grabbing her wrist and narrowing his eyes. "What's it for?"

"Umm..for being pretty, I guess. Here, it doesn't hurt, let me show you." She waited for him to release her wrist and then fastened the flower chain around her own neck. "See? It's just pretty, that's all. Don't you ever do anything just because it makes you happy?"

He glanced at the ground briefly, one hand finding its way to his birthmark. "No. Deimos don't do that. We have purpose, we do what we do for strength and power."

"Really? So...coming here tonight, with me...makes you stronger? How curious." She grinned up at him as he shifted his feet uncomfortably. "Perhaps you steal women away in the night all the time, no wonder everyone fears you so!"

He gawked at her. "I do not steal women at night! Err...ever! Gah, forget it," he growled, turning his back to her to look over the ocean. "They're right to be scared of me, you know. You should be, too. I didn't bring you here to mock me."

"Why did you bring me here, Darc?"

_Just the sound of her voice saying my name gives me chills, what is this?_ "I uh...I couldn't sleep. That's all."

She nodded. "I know. Me neither, we went over that already. But why come all the way to get me, then bring me all the way out here?"

He glanced at her over his shoulder. She looked so innocent. Perched on the edge of a wall, chin propped in her hands, eyes sparkling as she waited for his response. _Was I ever so young?_ "How old are you?" he asked, sidestepping her question.

She frowned. "Seventeen. Why? How old are you?"

"Just wondering. You look a lot younger than me, that's all." _Good question inspector, get really deep and ask what her favorite color is next!_ "So you're my age...that's good. Ah..nevermind, forget I asked."

Lilia giggled. "You're so cute when you're tongue-tied. Now...enough dodging. Tell me why we're here, or...or I'm going to beat it out of you!"

That got his attention. He spun around to face her, eyes wide. "You what?"

"You heard me, tough guy!" She jumped down from her wall, making a fist and shaking it menacingly. The grin never left her face, though. "Don't make me embarrass you! Talk!"

"You can't be serious. What are you going to do with those little fists, tickle me to dea--Hey!" She swung wildly at him, letting out a whoop. He sidestepped easily, catching both of her hands without even thinking about it. "What the hell is wrong with you! Are you crazy?"

"Nope...gotcha right where I want you now!" She pulled hard, trying to free herself, but his grip was like iron.

"Seriously, what are you doing?" She was strong, but her whole body's strain wasn't enough to move him an inch.

"This!" she cried, and suddenly stopped struggling altogether. He wasn't prepared for it and, still tensed to hold her in place, yanked her forcefully towards him. She flew into his chest and he dropped her hands, surpised. She deftly reached up and draped the flower chain around his forehead like a crown. "All hail Darc, King of the Daisies!" She planted her fists on her hips and squinted at him appraisingly. "You know, that has a nice ring to it!"

He rolled his eyes at her and moved to yank the flowers off his head. She stopped him with a glance. "I make you a present, and you don't even say thank you. That's nice. Let me guess, 'Deimos don't say thank you!'" She growled her best imitation of Darc's gravelly voice.

He sighed, searching the sky for answers. "Thank you, Lilia." She stared at him, tapping her foot. "Now what did I do?"

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Well, aren't you going to give _me_ a gift now? It's only polite."

He grunted. "I don't make flowers. What kind of gift do you want? No, I'm not setting you free."

A slow smile spread across her face. She stepped forward and slipped her arms around his waist, tilting her head back to look at him. "I think I know why you brought me here. For my present, I'd like to hear you say it."

His mind raced. _How could her proximity send me into such a panic! What the hell is this girl?_ "I uh..wanted..."

"Yes...?" Her lips were very close to his throat, her breath tickled his scales.

"A song!" he blurted out suddenly. "I was wanting to um..hear a song. That's all. Just a song."

She sighed, releasing him. "Alright. I don't believe you entirely, but alright." She played for him and the moon, casting her voice over the waves. Even the night breeze seemed to quiet for her, only barely ruffling her hair. When she was done he rose and led her back to her cell, neither saying a word. When he awoke the next morning, the tight feeling in his chest was worse, and the hours he spent punishing his lackeys in the arena didn't relieve it in the slightest. _Which path? _he thought, and carefully put the flower crown back into his pouch.


	3. Chapter 3

_Gone. Just like everyone else I have ever given a damn about. She's gone. _Darc stood in the center of the dungeon's only cell, staring at the broken gate. His companions shifted nervously behind him, neither daring to draw the Drakyr's wrath upon himself by breaking the silence. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, but his nose was not as powerful as the Lupine's, and the last scent of the Human girl was long gone from this place.

Delma glanced over at Volk for reassurance after a time and cleared her throat. Darc's shoulders stiffened slightly. "Darc...shouldn't we check on the others? They couldn't have killed all the Orcon..." she began.

Darc spun around, his eyes simmering with rage. Even the stalwart Lupine flinched. "Others? What others? Cowards. If they died, they deserved it. They failed."

"That's so, but we still need to ask Gorma about the Pyron, if he's still alive. And maybe we can find out where they Humans ran to. The Humans must be punished for this," Volk suggested. His alpha's rage was unsettling. Usually Darc was the calming influence in the group, but this quaking fury was unlike anything the warrior had seen in his leader. It scared him more than a little. Even Delma, the most self-absorbed member of the trio, was on eggshells around the Drakyr. The Humans' invasion of Orcoth had pissed Volk off too, but no more than any mere mention of a Human did. He cast a sideways glance at Delma, wondering if she suspected the true source of Darc's rage at the incident.

Darc finally assented, and the three made their way out of the dungeon and into Orcoth. They stepped around the bodies or Orcon that Delma had known through childhood, and eventually found their way to the arena, where a group of survivors huddled. Thankfully, Gorma had survived, the old sage both reassuring them about their slumbering Pyron-to-be and pointing them onto the trail of the Dilzweld Army that had ransacked their town in their search for Lilia. Fists clenched with grim determination, the trio set off.

They arrived at the Dilzweld camp just in time to hear that Lilia had been drugged and imprisoned, and to be engaged in a battle with a machine-and-Deimos creation as the battleship _Megist_ flew away. Instead of the Human girl he had intended to save, Darc was now saddled with a Pianta "woman" who was as irritating as she was old and withered. Camellia divided her time between fawning over her new "Master Darc", bemoaning the loss of her great beauty (a claim that the party dismissed on its face), and needling Delma.

The latter proved vastly amusing to Volk, but Darc didn't even seem to notice it. Nor did he notice the Orcon girl's poorly hidden satisfaction that the Human girl was, albeit temporarily, out of the picture. _This is going to become a problem, at some point._ He glanced over at his alpha. The Drakyr sat away from the others. His face was unreadable as he stared into their campfire, stroking the ortena that the Human girl had dropped in Orcoth. In battle he was the same Deimos, vicious and brutally efficient. At night, though, in the quiet hours before sleep took them..._he worries about her. That's his Human side showing. What does he want with that Human wretch, anyway?_

Delma's face, on the other hand, was as open as a child's. She stared at their leader from where she lay, feigning sleep. A blend of hatred and desire warred over her features, a volatile mix that the fourth companion, Camellia, was happy to snipe at during their travels. It seemed obvious to everyone but Darc that the pretty Orcon girl had feelings for him. What those feelings were, exactly, seemed to change in a flash. She had tried to kill the Drakyr once, and Darc had spared her life despite Volk's urgings to dispose of the traitor. Volk had acquiesced; Darc was the alpha and his decision was final; but a part of him worried that the choice would cost them later. For Delma's part, she had displayed no further urges to harm the alpha, but the act of sparing her life seemed to bind her even more strongly to the Drakyr. She defended him with an almost religious zeal, and her eyes flashed murderously every time Camellia approached him.

The Pianta sage took almost as much pleasure from praising and flattering Darc (and thus, sending Delma into a jealous fury) as she did preening and extolling her own virtues. Her true motives for this flirtation were unclear. No one really understood Darc's motives for keeping the withered flower around, but Camellia herself was using that doubt to wear away at Delma's self-confidence even more. "Perhaps he prefers a dainty, refined woman to some snarling, snapping Devil girl Delma dear. It's not your fault after all, my beauty is peerless. A raving Orcon girl simply doesn't compare!" Volk had had to step into that discussion earlier, literally backhanding Delma away as she leapt towards the Pianta, claws raised.

Every day it grew worse between them, and the source of all the tension hardly deigned to notice! Volk blew a sigh and walked over to join his alpha, who still sat turning the ortena in his hands. "Get some sleep, Darc. Tomorrow we go to Adenade to get the stone away from the Coleopt. I'll take the next watch."

"I'm not a child," Darc bristled. Even his irritation seemed forced. The Drakyr glanced at the sky. "I'm tired. Take the next watch, we leave in a few hours."

Volk bowed his head as his leader wandered off to his own bed. "Yes, my Alpha," he said softly, then turned to watch the night.


End file.
